Riding high after stellar performances by their key players at Wednesday’s practice match, the Guyana Jaguars are aiming to end on a high note when they tackle the Vishaul Singh-led XI in today’s final day/night match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
The match is part of the Jaguars preparatory camp ahead of the 2015 NAGICO Regional Super 50 tournament. The objective is to ensure that players gain experience batting under lights in preparation for their day/night matches against the Windward Islands Volcanoes, Barbados Pride and Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC).
The national team looked good during their first match with senior players Royston Crandon scoring 75 and claiming two wickets, skipper Chris Barnwell picking up three scalps and scoring a half-century, Steven Jacobs’s whirlwind 24-ball 44, Johnathan Foo’s 38 and wickets from frontline spinners Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul told the tale of the big guns finding their final touches before the tournament.
One worry for the Jaguars could be the lacklustre bowling display from Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer who might likely start as a new ball operator come the Super 50 series. The left-arm seamer was ill-treated in the practice game by temperamental opener Kevon Boodie who belted him for 18 in one over as the Bajan yielded 25 runs from three overs.
Apart from Reifer who also failed with the bat, the Jaguars will need to stick to their plan and focus on adding to their past successes. While the batters looked organised, their bowlers were a bit expansive though they still managed to pick up wickets on the sluggish Everest track.
A change in venue today could see the spinners coming to the forefront of the game while the batsmen focus on continuing their good form and hopefully, convert their start into a big score on what is usually a good track for batting.
Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith hailed the players’ collaborative attitudes during training sessions and Wednesday’s game. “Looking at the players during training and on Wednesday’s practice game you can see the guys are putting out the effort and showing the enthusiasm so hopefully, we can move forward from here,” he said.
The Jaguars will wing out to Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday January 13 where they will square off against defending champions Barbados Pride, Windward Islands Volcanoes and CCC in Group ‘A’. The Jaguars will take on the Windward Islands Volcanoes on January 15, then play the Barbados Pride on January 17 and finally the CCC on January 19 in three preliminary round games which are expected to bowl off at 1.30pm at the Queen’s Park Oval.
